Abstract

After 15 years of hard work and innovation, a conservation project in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve has become the first in the country to receive validation under two emerging global carbon market standards designed to ensure ecological integrity and benefits for communities. Officially dubbed “Carbon Sequestration in Communities of Extreme Poverty in the Sierra Gorda of Mexico,” the project has been validated under both the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standard – a clear demonstration of the role that carbon projects can play in the restoration of protected areas and the improvement of farmers’ livelihoods.